New Procedure in UK Uses HIV Virus to Fight Cystic Fibrosis

A scientist in the UK is looking to use HIV to correct faulty genes in un-born babies which have cystic fibrosis.

The scientist is Suzanne Buckley from University College in London and she has successfully used HIV as a genetic material carrier to fix faulty cystic fibrosis genes in the lungs of mice.

Suzanne Buckley will be presenting her findings at the British Society for Gene Therapy conference in Warwick. The title of her findings will be labeled, “Significant lung transduction after in utero and neonatal 30 administration of lentiviral vectors”.

According to Medical News Today, “In 1989 an international team of scientists identified the CF gene, and established that it sits on chromosome number 7. Each human cell has 23 pairs of chromosomes, each in the pair coming from each parent and carrying about 30,000 genes. The CF gene instructs the production of a protein called CFTCR (Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator) which moves salt and water in and out of cells lining the lungs and the digestive tract. However, in people with cystic fibrosis the CF gene is faulty and causes too much salt and too little water to be transported which produces the sticky mucous that clogs the lungs.”

The HIV virus is used as a carrier or “vector” because they invade the cells of living organisms, and make the hosts DNA obey and help the virus to replicate. It also inserts its own RNA and merge it with the genetic material of the host. The key is to control and manipulate the virus to deliver the results the scientist wants.

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